


A Sad Milestone Christmas

by Anxiouslykitty



Series: Christmas 2020 [1]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: Christmas, Developing Relationship, F/F, Female Friendship, Friendship/Love, Grief/Mourning, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:47:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28323342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anxiouslykitty/pseuds/Anxiouslykitty
Summary: Millie comforts Abbey the first Christmas after Jed died.
Relationships: Abbey Bartlet/Millicent Griffith
Series: Christmas 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074266
Kudos: 3





	A Sad Milestone Christmas

The house was packed with people for Christmas Day. The girls had gone the extra mile to make sure that the house was full with people who loved both Jed and Abbey. The three girls were there with their spouses and children. Zoey had also arranged so that C.J. and Danny flew in from California with their children. Millie was enjoying seeing everyone together, but she was also slightly uncomfortable being in the middle of the family scene. Ellie had been insistent that she come, but she wasn’t sure it was a good idea. 

This is the first Christmas since Jed passed away. Millie had been with Jed and Abbey during his last few months of life. At Jed’s insistence she had moved into the house with him and Abbey to help Abbey care for him. He had done well for many years, but when he finally turned for the worse he declined rapidly. It was heartbreaking to watch and even worse to watch Abbey go through it. During the last month of his life Jed had asked Millie to look after Abbey for him. It had embarrassed her to realize he knew she felt more for Abbey then friendship, but she had taken it for the act of love that it was. In the five months since he had been gone Millie had been staying with Abbey to help her through her grief. Recently however Liz had taken great offense to Millie’s presence in the house and Millie had moved back to her own house to not make Abbey’s life more difficult. This was the first time in three weeks she had seen Abbey. 

While she watched the kids play she kept her attention vaguely on Abbey. So when Abbey slipped out of the living room and disappeared up the stairs Millie was the only one that noticed. Abbey had done well the whole morning. She had helped make breakfast and helped the kids open presents. She had even gone out and played in the snow for a while with the kids before presents. Millie quietly got up from her chair and followed Abbey’s path up the stairs. She didn’t have to do much searching to find Abbey standing looking out the window in the master bedroom. Abbey had her arms wrapped around her body and she looked small in the large room. Millie closed the door quietly behind her and walked over to Abbey.

“Hey” Millie whispered, placing her hand on Abbey’s shoulder.

“Jed loved Christmas,” Abbey said, not taking her eyes from the view outside the window.

“He did love Christmas,” Millie comforted. “Do you remember the year he came to my house and decorated it for me because I said I wasn’t going to? I came home from work and the entire inside and outside of the house was decorated top to bottom.”

Millie and Abbey both laughed softly. Abbey turned into Millie who took it as a sign that Abbey needed a hug. She wrapped her arms around Abbey and held her tight.

“Jed would have liked this,” Abbey whispered.

“Are you having a good time” Millie asked.

“I love having the kids here and the grandkids” Abbey explained. “Having C.J. and Danny here makes a special surprise.”

“But” Millie pushed.

“I miss Jed,” Abbey sobbed.

Abbey buried her face into Millie’s chest and gripped the side of Millie’s sweater. Millie tightened her embrace holding Abbey as tightly as she could. It wasn’t the first time she had held Abbey while she cried, but each time it broke her heart. She had missed Abbey the last few weeks and she regretted letting Liz make her feel uncomfortable about being part of Abbey’s life. She never felt happier than when she was with Abbey even if it was just to comfort her through her grief.

“I miss him too,” Millie said into Abbey’s hair.

“I missed you” Abbey whispered. 

“Oh Abbey I’m sorry I’ve not been around” Millie apologized.

“Please don’t leave me again” Abbey asked.

Millie gently rubbed Abbey’s back and pondered what Abbey was saying. She wanted to read more into it than was probably there. It was hard to know what Abbey wanted when everything was so coated in grief over Jed. 

“You need time to grieve” Millie replied.

“I am grieving, but I don’t want to do it alone” Abbey explained. “It hurts so much sometimes and when you weren’t here it felt like I was drowning in it.”

Millie pulled her tighter and kissed the top of Abbey’s head. 

“Oh Abbey I’m sorry” Millie cooed. “I shouldn’t have let Liz get to me. I shouldn’t have left you here on your own.”

Abbey pulled back slightly so that she was looking at Millie.

“What did Liz say to you” Abbey asked.

“It doesn’t matter what she said,” Millie explained. “I shouldn’t have just picked up and left without talking to you.”

“What did she say to you” Abbey demanded, stepping out of Millie’s embrace.

“Abbey…” Millie began, but the look on Abbey’s face told her that she wasn’t going to be able to talk Abbey away from this topic.

“She just felt that it wasn’t appropriate for me to be here in the house with Jed gone. She felt that I was trying to take Jed’s place” Millie explained.

Abbey’s tempered flared and she took steps for the door. Millie instinctively grabbed Abbey’s arm and pulled her to a stop. 

“She had no right to say anything to you” Abbey snapped. “If I want you here then that’s all that matters.”

“Don’t be mad at her Abbey. She lost her father and she’s just trying to protect her mother” Millie comforted.

Abbey moved back into Millie’s arms and rested her head against Millie’s chest. Abbey’s arms wrapped comfortably around Millie and it made Millie smile into Abbey’s hair. 

“Will you come back to stay here again” Abbey asked.

“For how long” Millie asked.

“I don’t know” Abbey began. “For as long as both of us are happy with it I guess.”

“If I do come back there’s something you need to know” Millie said.

Again Abbey pulled away so that she could look into Millie’s face.

“What is it” Abbey asked.

“I need you to know that I feel more than just friendship for you and I have for a while” Millie said nervously.

Millie expected Abbey to pull away, but they stayed wrapped in each other's arms.

“How long” Abbey asked.

“For a while” Millie whispered. “Jed knew.”

Abbey leaned back into Millie resting her head back on Millie’s chest.

“Please move back in,” Abbey asked.

“Ok,” Millie said.

There was a knock on the door and Zoey came in without an invitation. Seeing Millie and Abbey wrapped together didn’t seem to faze her at all. Millie tried to pull away from Abbey, but Abbey held her tight. 

“We’re going to go ice skating,” Zoey said excitedly. “Want to come with us?”

Keeping one of her arms around Millie and her head on Millie’s shoulder Abbey turned towards Zoey.

“Sure honey, we’ll be down in a minute,” Abey said.

Zoey bounded out of the room and back down the stairs. Abbey looked back up at Millie and smiled. There were tears in her eyes and the stains of tears on her cheeks, but she looked beautiful. Millie was glad to see a smile on her face again. They had been few and far between in the last year.

“Let’s go fall on our butts like two old ladies” Abbey joked.

“Speak for yourself I’m not old” Millie joked.

Abbey tugged Millie along and they left the bedroom to rejoin the group. Millie couldn’t help but feel Jed with them as they skated across the ice. He would have probably been sitting on the edge of the lake laughing at Abbey and Millie wobbling around the ice while the kids and grandkids skated with ease around them. It made her smile and seeing her smile made Abbey smile. Hand in hand they wobbled along and laughed.


End file.
